TwitLonger  —  My full statement:  —  I'd like to apologize to my viewers and my staff for the failure of Current TV.  —  Editorially, Countdown had never been better.  But for more than a year I have been imploring Al Gore and Joel Hyatt to resolve our issues internally …

EPA Backpedals on Fracking Contamination  —  Texas Water-Pollution Suit Dropped; Third Recent Setback on Drilling for Agency  —  The Environmental Protection Agency has dropped its claim that an energy company contaminated drinking water in Texas, the third time in recent months that the agency …

Federal court strikes down parts of collective bargaining law  —  MORE (2)  —  A federal judge on Friday upheld most of Gov. Scott Walker's controversial collective bargaining law, but struck down key parts of it by ruling that the state cannot prevent public employee unions …

A Health Law at Risk Gives Insurers Pause  —  As the Supreme Court considers the constitutionality of the federal health care law, one option that had seemed unthinkable to its designers and supporters now seems at least possible: that the court could strike down the entire law.

Al Sharpton: Civil disobedience will escalate if Zimmerman remains free  —  If George Zimmerman is not arrested in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin soon, theRev.  Al Sharpton will call for an escalation in peaceful civil disobedience and economic sanctions.

This Creepy App Isn't Just Stalking Women Without Their Knowledge, It's A Wake-Up Call About Facebook Privacy [Update]  —  This app is meant to all be in good fun, but it's potentially a weapon in the hands of stalkers.  —  “Boy, you sure have a lot of apps on your phone.”  —  “Well, it's my job.”

IRS not investigating Nikki Haley for tax fraud  —  South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's office Friday provided IRS documentation that she is not facing investigation for tax fraud, calling accusations that she was “totally contrived.”  —  Haley denied the rumors of a looming tax indictment on Thursday.

Obama Campus Fervor Losing to Apathy as Students Sour on 2012  —  On election night 2008, freshman Meagan Cassidy left Lake Forest College and hopped a train to Chicago to celebrate Barack Obama's impending victory.  —  “There was probably no better place to be,” Cassidy said in a phone interview.

Mega Millions: Why I threw away common sense and bought a ticket  —  We played.  —  My husband and I decided to do a financially unwise thing and take a chance at winning the $640 million dollar Mega Millions lottery.  It's not a smart use of even a dollar because the odds of winning are, well, astronomical — 1 in 176 million.

Orwell and March Madness  —  If you've been watching the N.C.A.A. men's basketball championship — a k a March Madness — you've undoubtedly seen the commercial.  It's an N.C.A.A. ad that shows college athletes pumping iron, running sprints and playing games.

Obama: Buffett Rule tax hike will ‘make this country a little fairer’  —  President Obama urged lawmakers to “make this country a little fairer” and pass legislation that would raise taxes on those making more than $1 million annually.  —  “Congress is going to vote on what's called the Buffett Rule …

When the Archbishop Met the President  —  Cardinal Dolan thought he heard Barack Obama pledge respect for the Catholic Church's rights of conscience.  Then came the contraception coverage mandate.  —  New York  —  The president of the U.S. Conference of Bishops is careful to show due respect for the president of the United States.

Sina, Tencent Shut Down Commenting on Microblogs  —  BEIJING—China mounted a broad Internet crackdown beginning Friday, putting temporary restrictions on popular microblogging services run by Sina Corp. and Tencent Holdings Ltd. and detaining individuals that it accused of spreading rumors of a coup attempt in Beijing.